Method and apparatus for forming closures for paper containers



G. MEYER-JAGENBERG 1,933,180

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CLOSURES FOR PAPER CONTAINERS FiledDec.'6, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 31, 1933. G. MEYER-JAGENBERG1,933,180 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CLOSURE FOR PAPER CONTAINERSFiled Dec. 6, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 31, 1933 METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR FORMING CLOSUBES FORPAPER CONTAINERS Gunther MeyereJagenber g; Dusseldorf, Germany Application December 6,'1932,'Serial No.645,988,

and in GermanyDecember 7, 1931 7' Claims. (01. 93-36) This inventionrelates toimprovements a Fig. 3 is .a sectional View on the, line 3-3 ofA method and apparatus for creasing the upper portion ofpaper containersto permit convenient closing of the container when in use. p

In my former applications for patents'Serial Nos. 440,354, filed Mar.31, 1930, and 573,188, I

-to Fig.4.

filed Nov. 5,.1931, I described. and claimed a method and apparatus forforming closures for In these applica tions 1 described a method andapparatus in containers, and a container.

volving the use of diesand molds operating in conjunction with a flatblock, shaped in cross section to correspond with the body of thecontainer, and so 'creasedand pressed the paper on the block as todisrupt the fibers and hence.

destroyed theresiliency; Thus whenthe closure creases were formed. themouth of the container was more or less closedand when. wanted for useit was necessary toforce the mouth. open. Furthermore according to thepreviousprocess it was necessary to insert the forming block in thecontainer from the top, and'then bring the dies into operation ontop ofthe block and thereafter remove the block, steps which entailed loss oftime in manufacture.

According to the present invention the cooperative pressure and movementof the die and mold withv reference to each other is such as to enableme to obtain the desired creases .for.

folding without destroying the fibers of. the

paper, hence retaining substantially the original resiliency of thepaper, so that when the operaticn is completed the mouth of thecontainer is open. thus making the interior of the container readily andquickly accessible.

A further object of the inventionis to provide means for quicklyproducing paper containers with creases to form a closure, to therebyexpedite the manufacture and materially reduce the cost. Theseadvantages are paramount in the manufacture of an article of thischaracter when it is borne in mind that the containers are used butonce, and then thrown away, hence 4 economy in production andconvenience in handling become important.

The invention also comprehends improve ments in the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a conventional perspective view of a machine for carrying outthe invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is .a side elevation of the die and molds, one of the latterbeing omitted to illustrate the face of the die.. r A

. Fig. 5 is a similarview taken at right angles.

Fig-6' is a detail perspective view of one of the mold sections.

' Fig.1? is a similar view of one of the compan .ion mold. sections.

'Fig. 8 is afdeta-il perspective view showing a f cup creased by themolds and die.

In the drawings 1 indicateseafixed die. substantially square in outlinein plan .viewand formed at. its upper end witha bevel 2 to readilypermit of a, container having an open end to slip over the top of thedie In side elevation v in one dimension. the die has vertical edgesfiat the bottom and then tapers toward the top as at 4. and joins thebottom of the bevel. On these side faces are. upper and lower horizontalgrooves 5 and 6, the groove 6 being at the meeting edgesof theverticaledges 3 and, the lower end of the bevel edges .4, while groove 5isat 0 the juncture of the bevel 2 and the v upper end of the sidetapered edges 4. The two opposite faces of the die are alike, but theoutline at the edges differ materially from the outline of the 1companion faces previously described. lhat i; to say, the lower edgewalls are vertical, as at 7, and inclineupwardly as at 8, and join thebottom of .the bevel 2. From the lower corners of the verticalwalls 7,and for a width corrcsponding to the height of the grooves 6, the faceof each elevation of the opposite sides referred to, incline inwardlyand. upwardly toward the centre as indicated at 9 and'lO, and above theupper edges of these inclined faces are grooves 11 and 12, and a centergroove 13 extends downwardly from; the apex of grooves 11 and 12.

'From the edges 8, and following the grooves 11 and 12, the face of thedie inclines inwardly toward the center as shown at 14 and 15 to theapex of the grooves 1l--12 and 13. This in clination is defined bygrooves 16 and 17 extending from the apex of grooves 1112 and 13upwardly and outwardly and joins grooves 5a in alignment with grooves 5on the first described operated to slide to and from the die, bymechanism to be described. The face of each mold section 18a correspondsexactly with the adjacent face of the die, and is provided with ribs 20to fit in the grooves described. Correspondingly the face of each-mold,section '19,-corremolds 18 a inwardly toward the die to bend and creasethe angular faces of the closure top, and about the time this operationis completed, the molds 19 come into play and form the horizontalcreases in the opposite sides of the paper.

The pressure exerted by the molds, while amply suillcient to bend thepaper, is such as will not disrupt the fibers, and at the same time theresiliency of the paper is preserved.

In operation a container, either square in cross section or with atapered body as disclosed in my previous applications, is placed overthe die, as shown in the drawings, and the mold sections are advancedagainst the walls of the container below the top of the die. In thismanner the closure creases are formed and it will be noted that thisformation takes place without flattening the paper, as in my previousapplications. When the mold sections are withdrawn, because of the lightpressure necessary to obtain the desired result, the resiliency of thepaper is preserved and the mouth of the container remains open. However,the pressure at the top of the die is quite suflicient to form a fixedsquare outline to shape the container when the invention is used inmaking the body of the containers either square or of tapered form.

.Usually containers of this type are parafiined to render themwaterproof, and when the invention is used on this type of containers,the pressure required is more'or less just sufficient to disrupt theparaffin in forming the creases. However, the use of the invention isnot limited to containers so coated, as equally advantageous results areobtained when creasing plain paper.

The molds and die may be heated, if desired, in any appropriate manner.

What I claim is:

1. The method of preparing stiff paper containers, which consists ofplacing a container over a die of less dimensions than'the finishedcontainer, the container being arranged to have a closure extensionportion extending lengthwise of the die, folding the blank extension bypressure against the sides of the die to form the closure to providefold lines along which the paper is readily bendable, removing thepressure from the die and finally removing the container-from' the die.

2. That method described in claim- 1 wherein the pressure forming thefolds is only sufllcient to form creases without materiallydisrupting'the fibers of the paper.

. 3. An apparatus for'forming closure folds in containers comprising adie formed with a series of angular depressions on opposed faces, moldsections having angular faces corresponding to the angular faces onopposed faces of the die, the faces of the other opposed faces havingupwardly inclined surfaces with horizontal crease forming lines at thetop and bottom of said surfaces, and means, when a container is placedover the die, for advancing the mold sections toward the die to formfold lines in that portion of the container confined between the moldsections and die.

4. An'apparatus described in claim 3, wherein the top of the die isexposed to receive an open mouth container to be creased to form closurefolds.

5. An apparatus described in claim 3, including mechanism for firstadvancing the opposed mold sections having the angular depressions, andmechanism for thereafter advancing the other mold sections to form thehorizontal creases.

6. An apparatus for forming closure folds in containers comprising a diehaving its outer end exposed and formed with a plurality of opposedfaces and mold sections corresponding to the faces on the die,cooperating depressions and corresponding ribs formed on the faces ofthe die and the faces of the mold sections, and means, when a containeris placed over the exposed end of the die, for advancing the moldsections toward the die to form fold lines in that portion of thecontainer confined between the mold sections and die.

7. An apparatus for forming closure folds in containers comprising a dieformed with a plurality of faces having depressions,-a plurality of moldsections having ribs corresponding to the depressions in the faces ofthe die, means for first advancing oppositely disposed mold sectionstoward the opposite faces of the die, and means for thereafter advancingother oppositely disposed mold sections toward other opposite faces ofthe die to thereby firstform creases in opposite sides of a containerand subsequently form creases in other opposite sides of a container.GUNTHER MEYER-JAGENBERG.

